Serpentine: A short story from the world of His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust

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The subject of this book, Charles Sobhraj, is confirmed to have taken the lives of over a dozen tourists throughout Asia in the 1970s. The facts describe a likely loser: a mysterious woman found with a bullet in her head in a torched Cadillac that has overturned on infamously treacherous Mulholland Drive. No physical evidence, no witnesses, no apparent motive. And a slew of detectives have already worked the case and failed. But as Delaware and Sturgis begin digging, the mist begins to lift. Too many coincidences. Facts turn out to be anything but. And as they soon discover, very real threats lurking in the present. Don't worry about etiquette, I think swimmers are very welcoming. However, I asked the Royal parks dude to put up a bit more info for non-locals like us.

Serpentine Galleries Serpentine Galleries

No cloakroom. Avoid bringing bulky coats or large holdalls or wheelie bags. Only one, reasonably-sized, personal bag per visitor will be permittedKing Henry VIII was a passionate sportsman. Not content with hunting at Greenwich Park and Richmond Park, in 1536 he also acquired the land that now forms Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey, adding it to his collection of hunting grounds. Hiring a Serpentine pedalo or rowing boat is a family favourite; you can take a boat out all year round, weather permitting. Just walk up on the day. Enjoying sport in the park Sobraj often surrounded himself with needy or vulnerable people who he used snd cajoled into helping him commit his crimes. Two of his most famous associates were Ajay Choudhry, an Indian career criminal who disappeared in 1976 and Marie-Andree Leclerq, a Quebecoise who he had seduced and who became his "wife" and partner in crime. Like his wife, Leclerq, or "Monique" as she was known, provided Sobraji with a veneer of respectability, and like many of his minions, she was loyal and desperately in love with him. He often hosted parties in his Bangkok home, where he met with the potential victims he had befriended. He had an unerring eye for weakness or vulnerability. According to Thompson's 1982 obit: "The lanky writer had been in a coma for several days and died at 3 a.m. in St. Vincent's Hospital, a hospital official said. At his bedside were Robert Lantz, his agent of 15 years, and his two college-age sons, Kirk and Scott. You’re really close to other amazing gardens! Cross over into Kensington Gardens and stroll the 400m long Flower Walk or the Italian Gardens. And if it’s spring – don’t miss the drifts of thousands of daffodils in both St. James’s Park and The Green Park Can I bring my dog?

Serpentine : A True Odyssey of Love and Murderous Evil Serpentine : A True Odyssey of Love and Murderous Evil

Others who have read this book have remarked how “impressed” by this pseudo-real life Hannibal Lector they are. Being well-read, psychologically overpowering and a self described “Übermensch” and all. This book is more like a documentary of Charles Sobhraj’s life than a novel. The way Thomas Thompson has written it though, reads more like a murder novel. The famous trumpeter, Harry Mortimer, described Hyde Park's bandstand as "uncomfortable, unsanitary, but much loved". He did a week's engagement on the bandstand during World War II in 1944 with the Fodens Motor Works Band. He wrote in his autobiography: Thompson first wrote Western stories for pulp magazines in 1940 after stints as a sailor, a nightclub entertainer, a secretary and a furniture salesman. He later published hundreds of articles in national general-interest magazines and wrote 25 Western novels, including “Range Drifter,” “Shadow of the Butte” and “Bitter Water.” (latimes.com)

Several times while reading “Serpentine”, my jaw hit the floor. Other times, I had to put the book down in disgust. But still, I soldiered on because I was reading a brilliantly written account of one of the most sociopathic, self-serving and evil conmen and murderer that’s ever walked this earth. If you’re looking for the herons, look for their delightfully messy nests on to Serpentine Island near the boathouses or spot them perching in the lakeside willows.